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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rash — hasty
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. chip — to eat
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rash — a series
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bound — certain
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bound — obliged
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rest — what's left
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hand — help
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com